This article is running on a variety of new sources. I am not sure at this point if this means that there will just be reduced quantity at great quality...therefore raising pricing? Or are they actually saying quality is also an issue.
"The fragrance may occasionally leave something to be desired".
This statement apparently applies to French wine this year. Not Burgundy or Languedoc or Bordeaux or Loire, but to the ENTIRE country!!!
Ridiculous
Mike
More:
"once-mighty French producers have lost their global pre-eminence to more market-savvy Australian rivals"
There's an outright distortion. The fact is, Australia may be more market savvy, but it produces less wine than Languedoc.
Australia, 96-99, 7.2 million hl France, 96-99, 55.9 million hl Languedoc, 97, 14.1 million hl
Mike
Mike, this is not in anyway meant as a French wine bashing from me. Just so we are clear.
The news article was forwarded to me from my father in law and it appeared on the BBC and also on virtually every news source I can find. Its also on Robert Parkers site with a link to same article in the Washington Post.
Can you explain your understanding of the 2003 vintage in France? This will have impact on pricing but I am not sure if quality is excellent and supplies short, pricing is going up. The article is not very specific in my opinion.
Dick
Hi Dick
It's OK, that was clear to me.
I have obviously not tasted anything yet, apart from some free running mourvedre and grenache juice, but I have been following what the winemakers are saying.
It appears that in the southern latitudes here results are variable. A majority of winemakers were influenced by a scare started by the enologists (you know, those guys that give prescriptions but have never seen the fruit on the vine), they were told that the vintage will be flat and low in acidity, and so they harvested WAY too early and added tartaric. This also ensured that they could go off hunting by the first of september and be done with the damn grapes.
The more thoughtful winemakers actually tasted the grapes and measured things, and found that in fact there was plenty of potential left for a well balanced harvest. And so some have only just finished, over a month and a half after their colleagues, and are showing some superb results, fine mature grapes with plenty of acidity and no need for those expensive prescriptions (there is no medicine left on the shelves anyhow).
Apparently conditions in Bordeaux are similar, expect some great wines, and some really mediocre ones, as always.
Mike
Thanks.
dick
You're right, ridiculous!
But thanks Dick for posting Dale
Dale Williams Drop "damnspam" to reply
I just spoke to the owner of the wine store where I do most of my futures to ask him about 2003 vintage.
He said that he will be in Bordeaux for the Grand Cru tasting in a few weeks. But the rumor is that it will be an outstanding vintage quality wise from top producers. Pricing will be determined based upon market conditions but his guess is the prices will escalate.
dick
Looking forward for your follow up article about the wine tasting. Maybe, if we do this properly we can interview as many people as we can who went to this tasting and write down the comments in here.
Just my two cents.
Mark Not4wood
Union des Grands Crus tasting week - as always - will be held end of March / beginning of April. I have been posting my impressions since 1998, iirc.
M.
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